18 Cool Hotel Pools in and Around NYC for Family Vacations

Kids will flip for the expansive pool at Mohonk Mountain House, while parents relish its relaxing, spa-like surroundings.

Hotel pools can elevate any family vacation, particularly when they are full of standout features, like a stunning view or thrilling water slide. As you plan your summer travels, curb the are-we-there-yet chants with the promise of a dip in one of these ultra-cool hotel pools.

We’ve rounded up 18 family-friendly hotels in New York state with fun hotel pools ready to welcome visitors. Whether you’re planning an urban vacation, a trip to Long Island's East End, or a weekend of Hudson Valley explorations, we’ve got a pick for you.

100 Things To Do in Westchester and the Hudson Valley Before Kids Grow Up

Tour the Great Jack O'Lantern Blaze, an annual rite of fall. Courtesy Historic Hudson Valley

Check out these iconic things to do in Westchester and the Hudson Valley with kids—including attractions, events, activities, museums, and more—that everyone growing up in the area really must experience!

Westchester and the Hudson Valley offer a slew of family-friendly activities that add to its allure as a great place to raise kids or a day trip destination for nearby families. While some of these are well-known, iconic events, like the Great Jack O'Lantern Blaze, or seasonal staples, like Rye Playland, the region also boasts many lesser-known attractions. Whether you’ve recently moved to the area or have been living here for years, we’ve got a long list of the best things to do in the region with kids.

This list of 100 things to do in Westchester and Hudson Valley with kids before they grow up includes annual festivals, opulent mansion tours, holiday extravaganzas, essential delicacies, seasonal destinations, and more. We’ve done our homework, so you don’t have to! Some are seasonal, some are year-round—and all are worth trying!

Once you've checked these off, expand your horizons with our list of 100 Things To Do in New York State.

100 Things To Do in Connecticut Before Kids Grow Up

Our ultimate family bucket list has all the things to do in Connecticut before kids grow up. Photo courtesy of Lake Compounce

With so many fun things to do in Connecticut, local kids are really lucky! And Moms and Dads will be pleased to find lots of kid-friendly museums, cultural centers, orchards, beaches, trains and lots of history. We've created a list of 100 things to do in Connecticut with kids before they grow up. Even if you do just one thing a month, you have years of ideas to work with! We hope this list inspires you to experience why Connecticut is a great place to raise kids.

And don't forget to check out our guides: museums, indoor play, daytrips, and more on our homepage. Enjoy, and have fun creating wonderful memories for you and your children!

100 Things To Do on Long Island Before Kids Grow Up

Learn to surf at Montauk's SurfLuca or another surf school. Photo courtesy of the school.

Check out these iconic things to do in Long Island with kids—including attractions, events, activities, museums, and more—that everyone growing up in the area really must experience!

We are fortunate in so many ways to live on Long Island. In what other region of the country can you pack your kids up for a morning train ride to Manhattan, then whisk them off later to one of the Hamptons’ most enviable beaches?

From Nassau County to Suffolk County and all the way to the East End, Long Island has creative play spaces, wonderful children's museums, farmstands ripe with flavor, great parks and playgrounds, over-the-top seasonal celebrations, and even amusement and water park fun. And that’s just the beginning.

With four seasons' worth of fun in our backyard, how do you pick 100 activities every family on Long Island must experience? Well, it’s not scientific. We have no algorithms to determine them for us. Instead, we rely on you, our Mommy Poppins Long Island enthusiasts, as well as our parent-strong team of local writers, to keep us informed. So let's not belabor this introduction; here is our childhood bucket list for Long Island kids.

100 Things To Do In Houston Before Kids Grow Up

Houston's bucket list for kid activities

Check out these iconic things to do in Houston with kids—including attractions, events, activities, museums, and more—that every native Houstonian really must experience!

If you're a parent in Houston, you are bound to find fun activities to do with your kids of all ages anywhere in town. Whether you're a new or veteran parent, you know time flies by - kids grow up way too fast. We want to make sure you don’t miss out on the most awesome, family-friendly activities around town. With warm weather basically all year around, Houston is the ideal place to enjoy wonderful parks and playgrounds, incredible museums, and fun play spaces. Whether you're a local or a visitor to Htown, we hope you can use this list to make some great new memories with your kids.

Sign up for our FREE newsletters to get posts like this delivered to your inbox, and check our event calendar for kid-friendly things to do every day.

100 Things To Do in New Jersey With Kids Before They Grow Up

Hike the Appalachian Trail—72 miles  are n New Jersey! Photo courtesy of Visit NJ

Check out these iconic things to do in New Jersey with kids—including attractions, events, activities, museums, and more—that every New Jersey native really must experience!

Never did I imagine that I would be raising three kids in New Jersey, but I'm pretty happy with the way things turned out as this area makes it easy to entertain kids.

Our state is crazy expensive, as we all know, but it's also diverse, both in terms of its population and geography, which means there are plenty of fun things to do in New Jersey with kids of all ages and interests. From the gorgeous Jersey Shore beaches to our plentiful Garden State farms, New Jersey offers tons of incredible kids' activities. We have cool playgrounds, fantastic hikes and parks, and awesome zoos. There are lakes to swim in every summer and mountains to ski in the winter.

Read on for our list of the 100 best things to do in New Jersey with kids, and don't let those kids tell you they're bored again!

100 Best Things To Do in Orlando with Kids Before They Grow Up (Other than Theme Parks)

SeaWorld Orlando theme park, zoo and aquarium offers exciting rides and roller coasters, up-close animal encounters. Photo by the author

Check out the ultimate things to do in Orlando with kids — including attractions, fun events, beaches & lakes, museums, famed landmarks, and much more!

There are so many things to do in Orlando with kids beyond the theme parks! While most people who don't live in Orlando only think of it as a theme park mecca, offering memories at Walt Disney World and Universal, locals know better. Florida's mega tourist destination offers a variety of fun things to do in Orlando with kids of all ages besides the obvious options. Whether you live in Florida or are just visiting, Orlando is a great destination for families on both short and extended stays. 

We’ve rounded up a list of 100 things to do in Orlando with kids beyond the theme parks. From hiking to museums to themed dinners, these fun spots offer a variety of family entertainment and must-do activities for kids in Orlando. Get ready to forego the theme park ticket and experience the real Orlando!

For local events occurring during your Central Florida vacation, visit our Orlando event calendar.  Looking for a place to stay? Check out our list of the best Orlando hotels for families.

100 Things To Do in NYC With Kids Before They Grow Up

See the skyline from a whole new vantage point on the Roosevelt Island Tram. Photo courtesy of NYCGo

Check out these iconic things to do in New York City with kids—including attractions, events, activities, museums, and more—that every native New Yorker really must experience!

The number of family-friendly happenings in New York City on any given day is enough to overwhelm most parents. Our city plays host to top-notch museums and art, creative play spaces, amazing parks and playgrounds, and even amusement parks, all of which pump out fun children's programming year-round. Even NYC restaurants get into the game, hosting dedicated kid's play spaces, events, and cool DIY opportunities like ice cream and chocolate making.

Yet, every year, our kids grow up on us a little more. They age out of one activity after another, whether it's storytime at the library, riding a favorite carousel, or just needing to hold our hand as they cross the street. That's why we're focused on finding ways to take advantage of all the amazing things to do in New York City with kids, creating meaningful memories as we go. I created this "life list" of all the things I want to experience with my kids before they grow up. It's not just the stuff that is fun to do, but also the stuff I think will be important to do with them—things that will shape them and be formative in their experience as little New Yorkers. We're also big fans of FREE fun, so we included as much of that as possible!

So, enjoy this list of 100 things to do in NYC with kids, whether you're a local or a visitor trying to experience the very best of our city. Now, off I go to wring every drop of goodness from the damp, dirty rag that is New York City.

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